The European Commission has published the list of beneficiaries for the SME Instrument Phase II programme for the 06/04/2017 deadline. Out of 1,222 proposals received, 64 were selected for funding, involving a total of 69 beneficiary SMEs, representing a success rate of 5.2%.

Italy ranks second with 10 funded companies and 9 projects, just behind Spain with 15 beneficiary SMEs. Three of the beneficiary companies are based in Lombardy.

• I & T NARDONI INSTITUTE SRL (Bs), with the VERNE project - Guided (Ultra)sonic Waves for High Performance Deepwater Pipeline Inspection
• REPOSSI MACCHINE AGRICOLE SRL (Casorate Primo – PV), with the RA-RAKE project - A Novel Double Wheel Rake Machine to provide high quality fodder and high operational speed
• HYDRONIT srl (Varedo – MB), with the MIDRAULICS project - Modular Intelligent Hydraulics

The 69 funded SMEs, hailing from 21 countries, will work on 64 different projects, with each receiving approximately €2.5 million to fund innovation activities.

Spanish companies were the most successful, with 15 SMEs selected. Italian companies rank second with 10, followed by those from Sweden and Denmark. The majority of the projects submitted fall under the ICT and transport topics, followed by health.

It is important to note that since the launch of this business support tool (SME Instrument Phase 2), 710 companies have been funded. This has enabled significant investment in innovation activities such as demonstration projects, pilot projects, testing, and miniaturisation, in addition to the development of a robust business plan that fully reflects the project. The selected SMEs will also be eligible for 12 days of coaching.

The next cut-off date is scheduled for 18 October 2017.

For further information, please visit the official EASME website by clicking here.